Mississippi Virtual Community College Moves LMS to the Cloud

Mississippi Virtual Community College (MSVCC), a joint distance learning effort of the state's 15 community colleges, has adopted a new cloud-based learning management system for its e-learning courses. The institution will begin offering classes through the new platform beginning this summer.

MSVCC is implementing Canvas by Sandy, UT-based Instructure. The institution signed a five-year contract with the company following a review of a number of LMS platforms, according to a statement from Instructure.

The online college expects to lower its IT costs with this migration, said Eric Clark, executive director of the Mississippi Community College Board, in the prepared statement. "We are saving a significant amount of money by moving our learning management system to the cloud," said Clark. "Our community college system strives to be good stewards of Mississippi's tax dollars, and this is a wonderful example of that commitment."

MSVCC enables students to take classes from any community college in Mississippi and receive support services—including advisement, financial aid, and learning assistance—from their local college, known as the host college. The remote institution provides the online instruction. The host college issues credit for the class.